NEW FRONTIERS IN MRAP-ERY. At considerable expense, the Pentagon has put the MRAP, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, into full production for the Iraq campaign. Unfortunately but predictably, the MRAP's armor offers insufficient protection against the most advanced insurgent EFPs (Explosively Formed Penetrators), as detailed in a recent USA Today article. According to David Hambling, this has inspired contractors to start work on the MRAP II, which will presumably provide even more protection. Until that time, we are not to speak of the vulnerabilities of the MRAP, as according to Brigadier General Mike Brogan (USMC), “Because of what you’re doing, these are becoming symbolic targets.” This is a losing game for the United States. Hambling has a good rundown of the possibilities for insurgent innovation in the IED field, and they don't look positive for the counter-insurgents. It is much cheaper for insurgent groups (or Iran, if you prefer) to develop new tactics for the delivery of new EFPs than it is for us to design and build new kinds of EFP resistant vehicles. Iraq represents an almost perfect laboratory for insurgent innovation; lots of competing groups, some sharing of info, and considerable money and expertise flowing in from outside sources. While it makes sense to continue some anti-EFP efforts, there is no plausible technological fix to the larger IED problem. --Robert Farley
